Nita M Ambani, on 5th January, hosted the second edition of “United in Triumph” in Mumbai. The event was organised to honour India’s three World Cup–winning cricket teams — the men’s team, the women’s team, and the blind women’s team.

The event was attended by India’s three World Cup–winning captains — Rohit Sharma, Harmanpreet Kaur, and Deepika TC. Several star players were also present, including Jasprit Bumrah, Suryakumar Yadav, Smriti Mandhana, Jemimah Rodrigues, and Ganga Kadam.

Apart from honouring the teams, the special event also featured several performances.

During the event, Nita Ambani spoke about Rohit Sharma’s efforts as captain and recalled how India defeated South Africa by seven runs in the World Cup final at Barbados last year, thanks to a brilliant bowling effort in the death overs.

A video showcasing Rohit Sharma’s journey was then played. While watching the video, the Indian captain became emotional after seeing his childhood pictures with his parents. Rohit reacted in a childlike manner, pointed at the pictures, and was seen chatting and smiling with his wife.

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Rohit Sharma's priceless reactions after seeing his childhood pictures with his parents. ♥️🥹 pic.twitter.com/HPhm8gafCZ

— Tanuj (@ImTanujSingh) January 9, 2026

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Rohit Sharma Chats With Shah Rukh Khan

A candid moment between Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan and Rohit Sharma also caught attention at the event. The clip, shared by the Mumbai Indians on their official social media handles, quickly went viral. In the video, the two are seen engaged in a deep conversation, with Shah Rukh listening attentively as Rohit explains something.

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Nita Ambani on the Power of Sport

Speaking about the unifying power of sport, Nita Ambani said, “Sport joins hearts and India. Today, we are united in triumph. We are going to celebrate them and celebrate their victories.”

Cricket legends Sachin Tendulkar, Sunil Gavaskar, and Ravichandran Ashwin were also present, along with Olympic and Paralympic athletes Murlikant Petkar, Deepa Malik, and Devendra Jhajharia. Several film personalities, including Amitabh Bachchan, attended the celebration.

At the heart of the event were India’s three World Cup–winning captains — Rohit Sharma, Harmanpreet Kaur, and Deepika TC — whose leadership and resilience have inspired the nation.

The Jammu and Kashmir Police have started a preliminary investigation into an incident where a cricketer wore a helmet with a Palestine flag during a local tournament near Jammu. Videos of the player were widely shared on social media, and the police later called him for questioning.

The police said the video shows cricketer Furqan Ul Haq playing at KC Door in Muthi with a Palestine logo on his helmet. Due to the sensitive nature of the matter and possible public order issues, a 14-day preliminary inquiry under Section 173(3) of BNSS has been launched at Domana police station to check the facts, intent, and background.

Furqan, who is from South Kashmir, was playing in the Jammu and Kashmir Champions League and represented JK11 against Jammu Trailblazers. The tournament organiser, Sajit Bhat, was also questioned by the police.

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Controversy in J&K Champions League:

Cricketer spotted wearing helmet with Palestinian flag sticker during match.

Mixing sports with politics again?

VC - @Republic_Bharat pic.twitter.com/Qc4SXK8oDG

— Abhishek Singh (@IAbhi_s) January 2, 2026

Incident During J&K Champions League Match

The incident happened on Wednesday during a match between JK11 Kings and Jammu Trailblazers in the ongoing J&K Champions League. Cricketer Furqan was seen wearing a helmet with a Palestine flag, after which the matter was reported to the police.

Police Say Probe Limited to Questioning

Officials said the tournament is privately organised and is not linked to any national or international cricket body. The police clarified that no action has been taken so far, and the process is limited to questioning. They are also checking whether proper permission was taken and if any tournament rules were broken.

A senior officer said the police are verifying the facts and will decide the next steps after the questioning is complete and the intent is clear. Authorities have also asked people not to speculate until the inquiry ends.

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JKCA Stays Away From the Matter

The Jammu and Kashmir Cricket Association (JKCA) said it has no connection with the tournament and that the issue is outside its control. JKCA official Brigadier Anil Gupta said the event is privately organised and is being handled by the local police.

Meanwhile, BJP MLA R.S. Pathania has asked for a detailed investigation. He said the incident appears to be an attempt to misuse a cricket ground for promoting an agenda and goes against India’s stand.

Team India had an excellent year in ODIs in 2025. The Men in Blue played 14 matches, winning 11 and losing only three. This gave them an impressive win percentage of 78.57.

India began the year with a dominant 3–0 home series win against England. They then remained unbeaten in the Champions Trophy held in the UAE. Later in the year, India lost the three-match ODI series in Australia by 2–1. However, they finished 2025 on a high with a 2–1 home series win over South Africa.

Among the batters, Virat Kohli was India’s leading run-scorer in ODIs in 2025. In 13 innings, he scored 651 runs at an average of 65.10 and a strike rate of 96.15. He hit three centuries and four half-centuries. Rohit Sharma finished just behind him with 650 runs at an average of 50 and a strike rate of 100.46.

Shreyas Iyer scored 496 runs, Shubman Gill made 490 runs, and KL Rahul added 367 runs to complete the top five list.

Indian batters produced several memorable performances in ODIs during 2025. In this feature, we look back at the top five one-day innings played by Team India batters in the year.

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5. Shubman Gill (112 off 102) vs England, Ahmedabad

Shubman Gill played 11 ODI matches for India in 2025. In 11 innings, he scored 490 runs at an average of 49 and a strike rate of 88.76. He hit two centuries and two half-centuries during the year.

Gill played a fine knock of 112 off 102 balls against England at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad in the third and final ODI. After England won the toss and chose to bowl first, India lost Rohit Sharma for just one run. Gill then steadied the innings with a classy knock.

His innings included 14 fours and three sixes. Gill added 116 runs for the second wicket with Virat Kohli and 104 runs for the third wicket with Shreyas Iyer, who scored 78. Gill was eventually bowled by Adil Rashid. India went on to win the match by 142 runs.

4. Ruturaj Gaikwad (105 off 83) vs South Africa, Raipur

Ruturaj Gaikwad scored his maiden ODI century against South Africa at the Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Stadium in Raipur. He batted at number four in this match as Shreyas Iyer was ruled out due to injury.

After South Africa won the toss and elected to field, India lost both openers inside the first 10 overs. Gaikwad then launched a strong counter-attack. He smashed 12 fours and two sixes in his 105 off just 83 balls.

Gaikwad added a massive 195-run partnership for the third wicket with Virat Kohli. He was eventually caught at deep fine leg off Marco Jansen. Despite his brilliant knock, it went in vain as South Africa successfully chased down 359 runs.

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3. Rohit Sharma (121* off 125) vs Australia, Sydney

Rohit Sharma rolled back the years with a superb century against Australia in Sydney during the final ODI of the series. After losing the first two matches, Rohit gave Indian fans something to cheer about with a composed and experienced knock.

Australia were restricted to 236 after Harshit Rana took four wickets. In the chase, Rohit remained unbeaten on 121 off 125 balls. He struck 13 fours and three sixes and played with great control.

Gill was dismissed for 24, but Rohit added an unbroken 168-run stand for the second wicket with Virat Kohli. India chased the target in 38.3 overs and won the match with nine wickets in hand.

2. Yashasvi Jaiswal (116* off 121) vs South Africa, Visakhapatnam

Yashasvi Jaiswal also scored his maiden ODI century during the series against South Africa. Opening the innings in the absence of Shubman Gill, who was injured, Jaiswal delivered a match-winning knock in the decider at Visakhapatnam.

Chasing a target of 271, Jaiswal scored an unbeaten 116 off 121 balls. His innings included 12 fours and two sixes. He led the chase with confidence and maturity.

Jaiswal added 155 runs for the first wicket with Rohit Sharma, who scored 75 off 73 balls. He then shared an unbeaten 116-run stand for the second wicket with Virat Kohli, who remained not out on 65 off 45 balls. India won the match comfortably.

1. Virat Kohli (135 off 120) vs South Africa, Ranchi

Virat Kohli once again showed his class in ODIs with a brilliant performance against South Africa in Ranchi. In the first ODI of the series, Kohli scored a superb 135 off 120 balls at the JSCA International Stadium Complex.

After South Africa won the toss and chose to bowl first, India lost Yashasvi Jaiswal early for 18. Kohli then took charge of the innings and kept the pressure on the bowlers.

He smashed 11 fours and seven sixes in his 173-minute knock. Rohit Sharma supported him well with 57 off 51 balls as the pair added 136 runs for the second wicket. Kohli was dismissed late in the innings, but India posted 349 for 8 and went on to win the match by 17 runs.

During the third and last game of the three-match ODI series between the hosts India and the visitors South Africa, the former Indian captain Rohit Sharma became the fourth Indian to record 20,000 international runs.

While the series was 1-1 before the series-decider, Vizag hosted the series finale on Saturday (December 6), where the hosts India chose to field first after winning the toss. After South Africa were bowled out for 270 runs in 47.5 overs, India comfortably chased down the target in just 39.5 overs after losing only one wicket, as all the top order batters for India slammed the Proteas bowlers.

While Yashasvi Jaiswal scored 116 not out off 121 balls, and Virat Kohli scored 65 not out off 45 balls, Rohit Sharma smashed 75 off 73 balls with seven fours and three sixes. During the chase, Rohit completed his 20,000 runs in international cricket and became only the 14th cricketer to record 20,000 international runs. 

Watch: Rohit Sharma 75 (73) vs SA extended highlight full video

Indian cricketers with 20,000 international runs

Sachin Tendulkar

Legendary Indian cricketer Sachin Tendulkar was the first Indian to record 20,000 runs in international cricket history. Even more than a decade after his international cricket retirement, Sachin is holding the record for most international runs with 34,357 runs.  

Virat Kohli

Virat Kohli is regarded as one of the greatest batters in the history of international cricket, a master in the ODI format. He has already scored 27,975 ODI runs, and with 42 more runs, he will surpass legendary Sri Lankan cricketer Kumar Sangakkara (28,016 runs) to become the second most run-scorer in international cricket history.

Rahul Dravid

“The Wall” Rahul Dravid was the second Indian batter to record 20,000 runs in international cricket. The right-handed batter scored 24064 international runs before retiring from international cricket. 

Rohit Sharma

A versatile batter became a legend since he was promoted as an opener in international cricket. The right-handed batter has scored 20,048 runs in international cricket, as he became the fourth Indian to record 20,000 international runs. 

Chaos broke out outside Barabati Stadium as huge crowds came to buy tickets for the first T20I between India and South Africa. The Odisha Cricket Association (OCA) said on December 4 that tickets would be sold from Friday morning. Thousands of fans came to the stadium gates on December 5. Even though authorities did not allow overnight queues and told people to come after 6 a.m., many fans had already come by 9 a.m., making it hard to control the crowd.

A video on X shows the crowd getting worse, almost like a stampede. Police had to use a mild lathi charge to control the crowd.

This will be Barabati Stadium’s second international match in 2025. Earlier this year, Rohit Sharma’s team played an ODI against England there, and many fans came. The big rush for T20I tickets shows that fans are very excited again.

Watch the video here:

Cricket for VIPs, chaos for the people.

Scenes from Barabati stadium Cuttack hosting #IndvsSA #T20 match . Offline ticket counter opened today morning
🏏💔pic.twitter.com/TVNwWzogMl

— dD@$h (@dashman207) December 5, 2025

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India Will Play South Africa in the Third ODI Tomorrow

India will host South Africa in the third ODI on December 6 in Visakhapatnam. After a thrilling win in Ranchi, the KL Rahul-led team suffered a four-wicket defeat in the second ODI in Raipur. Now, they will hope to win in Visakhapatnam and seal the series. This win is very important as India lost the Test series 2-0.

Another loss will increase pressure on the team management, who have not done well in recent bilateral series. After the ODI series, the focus will move to T20Is, starting on December 9 in Cuttack. With the T20 World Cup starting in two months, the Suryakumar Yadav-led team will aim to make an impact. For some players, it is also a chance to secure their spot in the squad.

Pakistan will start their Asia Cup 2025 campaign against Oman on Friday, but all eyes are already on Sunday’s big clash against India in Dubai. Head coach Mike Hesson has raised expectations, saying Pakistan’s spin attack, led by Mohammad Nawaz, could be the key to their success.

The team comes into the tournament on the back of a T20 Tri-Series win, where they beat Afghanistan by 75 runs in the final, thanks to Nawaz’s brilliant hat-trick. With the UAE pitches expected to be slow, spin bowling is set to play a big role in Pakistan’s game plan. At Thursday’s press conference, Hesson praised the strength of Pakistan’s bowling and singled out Nawaz.

“When you’ve got wrist spinners like him, the pitch doesn’t matter as much. The good thing about our team is we have five spinners. Mohammad Nawaz is currently the best spin bowler in the world, and he has been ranked that way for the past six months since coming back into the side,” Hesson said.

#AsiaCup2025 #INDvsPAK 🏏

'Surface doesn’t really matter'

Pakistan 🇵🇰 coach has raised the stakes ahead of the encounter against India 🇮🇳@pratyush93_raj ✍️https://t.co/oOTVOPUU87

— TOI Sports (@toisports) September 11, 2025

He also mentioned the depth of their spin options, including Salman Ali Agha. “Salman Ali has hardly bowled, but he’s also our Test spinner. So we have plenty of spin options if the conditions suit. And if not, we have five seamers who can bowl fast, slow, or use reverse swing depending on the pitch.”

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Hesson also talked about Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan’s strike rates in T20Is. “It’s important to be honest when assessing players. I’m not pointing out weaknesses. I’m just saying the modern game needs a higher strike rate in the powerplay compared to before, especially in good batting conditions.” Pakistan will use the match against Oman to fine-tune their plans, but Hesson’s strong backing of Nawaz and the spin attack has already set the tone for Sunday’s big India clash.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has been dragged into a very peculiar controversy lately. In a bizarre turn of events, the Uttarakhand high court served a notice to the BCCI as petitions piled up to seek a probe into the alleged misuse of government funds from the Cricket Association of Uttarakhand (CAU). It is believed that the CAU has been accused of swallowing a whopping INR 12 crores, which was meant for organizing tournaments.

See also: On This Day: India claims their biggest win over Pakistan in ODIs

Shocking revelations of fund mismanagement emerge following independent audit findings

The CAU's audit report for the 2024-25 financial year paints a very concerning picture. To ascertain the root cause of fund mismanagement by the association, petitions have been filed by several residents from Dehradun. These petitioners have flagged some very concerning irregularities in CAU's audit report. An independent audit from a chartered accountant revealed that as much as INR 35 lakhs was spent on bananas. 

Furthermore, the report also highlighted that a staggering INR 6.4 crore was paid for event management. Moreover, the report also noted that the expenses on the tournament and trial expenses spiked from INR 22.3 crores in the last financial year to INR 26.3 crores in the current financial year. Add to that, crores of undisclosed funds were eaten up by the association in the name of food expenses and facilities, which were never provided to the athletes. 

With multiple allegations from the petitioners coming to light, the Uttarakhand High Court has made the decision to host a hearing on Friday. Justice Manoj Kumar Tiwari will be tasked with initiating the proceedings to listen to the petitioners' allegations on the day of the hearing. 

The Indian Cricket Team's highly anticipated test tour of England is almost around the corner. The bumper five-test rubber marks the beginning of the new World Test Championship Cycle (WTC) for 2025-27. The teams will be playing for the 'Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy' as the name of the mega series has been changed from the original 'Pataudi Trophy'. The five matches are slated to be played at Headingley in Leeds, Edgbaston in Birmingham, Lord's in London, Old Trafford in Manchester, and The Oval in London. The first of the marquee clashes commences on Friday, 20th June, and fans are eagerly waiting to witness some exhilarating red ball cricketing action. 

The India Test Team enters this new cycle while being in a transitional phase. With the retirement of stalwarts like Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and Ravichandran Ashwin, a new era beckons for the young group of players in the UK. It's up to the next generation, surrounded with only a few notable senior players currently, to carry forward the legacy and build further. With Shubman Gill being handed over the skipper duties, and some new additions in the squad, it will be interesting to see their blueprint for a healthy transition ahead. 

India's time on the British shores began with an unofficial test series between the England Lions and India A. The purpose of this series was to provide some match practice to the players entering the test arena from IPL T20 cricket. The two 4-day encounters served as red ball game time for a lot of First-Class (FC) cricketers in the reckoning for the senior team. With a few chances of impressing the coach and national selectors by their cricketing skills on English soil, players like Arshdeep Singh, Mukesh Kumar, Harshit Rana, Anshul Kamboj, Abhimanyu Easwaran, and Sarfaraz Khan took the field against the Lions. Both matches ended in draws, however, there was a bigger picture associated with the outcome of the games. Understanding the conditions and analyzing a few players for some potential spots and backups in the main starting XI against England in Leeds were at the topmost of the agenda.

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An intra-squad warm-up match was organised in Beckenham to precede the series opener. All the players from the touring party were divided into two teams for one final simulation and to decide on players staying back. In a surprising and unexpected selection move, Harshit Rana was favoured and added to the test squad for the first game as a bowling cover. The rest of the 'India A' players were on their way back home. In a move that has faced backlash since, it is seen as an unfair one on Anshul Kamboj, potentially the most deserving candidate to be included in the squad, but not to be for now. Both of them, originally, were not in the squad, but Harshit, a 23-year-old right-arm Delhi pacer, got the nod over Anshul, a 24-year-old quick from Haryana. The former debuted in Australia in late 2024 and picked up just four wickets from two 'Border-Gavaskar Trophy' tests. However, the decision of his current inclusion hasn’t gone down well with a former Indian cricketer, who reprimanded the team management for their obsession with Rana.

Anshul Kamboj should have been added to the squad. Don’t understand this obsession with Harshit Rana #ENGvIND

— Dodda Ganesh | ದೊಡ್ಡ ಗಣೇಶ್ (@doddaganesha) June 16, 2025

 

 

 

 

 

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Standing on the right side of numbers in First-Class (FC) cricket, and in the recently played series against the England Lions, Anshul has produced better returns than Harshit. A statistical comparison between the two, in red ball cricket, upholds this fact. 

Keeping the stats under scrutiny and then considering this bizarre decision, speculations have arisen over bias. Fans and former cricketers have spoken out against the team management, selectors, and head coach, Gautam Gambhir, for their favouritism towards Harshit Rana. Anshul Kamboj deserved to stay back and get added to the main squad for the series. It will be interesting to see if Rana can pay back the faith shown in him. Regardless of that, as Shubman Gill takes guard at the dawn of India's next test, unless batters don't play responsibly, much can't be expected from the outcome of the series. India has a great arsenal in their bowling ranks, and they will certainly deliver the goods from the word go. 

In a candid and unusual outburst, India ODI skipper Rohit Sharma has criticized the state of cricket commentary in India as "disappointing" and "agenda-driven." In an honest interview with cricket writer Vimal Kumar, Rohit did not mince words, accusing most commentators of spreading negativity rather than enlightening people about the nuances of the game.

The commentaries on television today are so disappointing," said Rohit. "When I travel to Australia, their commentaries are entirely different. Day and night is how different it is. Over here in India, it is as if the commentators' motto is to choose a player to target and go negative.

Rohit's comments follow an emotionally charged season of the IPL, during which he announced his retirement from Test cricket in the middle of the tournament. While fans and commentators alike were stunned by his choice, it also fueled renewed debates over player mental well-being, media scrutiny, and the behavior of athletes in response to public opinion.

watch the video:

He is so so right about the the Indian commentators. He technically exposed Star Sports and its panel who do PR for and against a certain player in the guise of being fair. pic.twitter.com/t9P4fjFyOB

— Irroh (@irroh45) May 8, 2025

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Rohit Sharma calls for honest, thoughtful cricket commentary instead of drama and controversy

What appears to have particularly annoyed the 36-year-old opener is the tendency among certain Indian commentators and journalists to dwell on controversies or promote certain agendas. "There's no space for agenda-driven criticism," he added. "Cricket is a beautiful game, full of nuances. People watch to understand it better. But if we keep offering masala instead of insight, we are failing the fans."

The India skipper's words have ignited controversy in the world of cricket. While some of his critics claim that players should learn to accept criticism as part of professional sport, others have commended Rohit for raising a problem faced by many sportsmen but whom they are hesitant to discuss publicly.

Sharma's words are a wake-up call for broadcasters and ex-cricketers in the commentary box to look at their methodology. As cricket itself changes, the need for smart, balanced, and analytical reporting is increasing and India's cricketing world will have to reconsider the way it communicates to its millions of fans.

It seems like only yesterday India faced a gut-wrenching setback in the 2019 ICC Cricket World Cup, going out after a tight semi-final loss to New Zealand. Almost six years since then, the anguish still haunts fans and apparently, the players as well. Former Indian captain Virat Kohli, who captained the team that season, has now spoken for the first time about the tearful exit and the deep hurt it caused him.

India had dominated the group stage, sitting atop the table with seven wins from nine games. With confidence high, everything was expected. But in rain-hit semi-final at Old Trafford, Manchester, things did not go according to script. The game spilled into a reserve day after incessant rain brought the game to a standstill after New Zealand's innings. Next day, on tricky overcast conditions, India's batting disintegrated early.

Talking on the RCB Podcast, Kohli shared that how disoriented and numb he was after the loss. "The 2019 loss was massive; that was the first time actually after the semifinals got over, and the next morning, we were going to leave Manchester. You know when you wake up, and you have no kind of understanding of what you want to do… like you're dazed," he said.

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Kohli remembers how rain and early collapses dashed India's 2019 World Cup ambitions

Reminiscing about what happened, Kohli pointed out how the rain was instrumental in disrupting India's rhythm. "Everything was all right. We had to play in the afternoon, and there was rain, and then we had to turn up the next morning, early morning conditions, this, that and the others. I was like, what are the chances."

Trent Boult's initial blows, including the key scalp of Kohli himself, left India gasping. MS Dhoni and Ravindra Jadeja staged a brave counterattack, but the Men in Blue came up short by 18 runs.

Explaining his state of mind after the defeat, Kohli stated, "It was like the feeling you get when you have a horrible hangover I could not make sense of it."

For the fans and players, too, that semi-final is still one of Indian cricket's most painful what-ifs.